Merlin Meets The Doctor
by funkyfran
Summary: When the Tardis lands in Camelot, with The Doctor, Rose and Captain Jack inside, it could only spell trouble for Merlin. How will they react to the Doctor's space age magic? And how will Arthur cope with Merlin's new distractions? Read on to find out.
1. Chapter 1

A whooshing, whirring noise permeated the otherwise silent room. Turning to locate the source of the noise, Gaius found himself staring at a huge, blue, box-like structure. Blinking to clear his vision, questioning what he could see with his aging eyes, comprehension finally reached him.

"Merlin!" he bellowed, certain that his charge was behind this new apparition. "What have you been meddling with this time!"

Stumbling into the room, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, Merlin questioned a visibly angry Gaius.

"What-" but soon broke off upon seeing the blue box. "That wasn't me." he quickly exclaimed, glancing at Gaius with as earnest a look as he could muster. "I swear," he laughed, upon seeing the disbelieving face of his friend.

"Then where on this earth did it come from?" Gaius whispered, walking hesitantly towards the object of their attention. Reaching out to touch it, he quickly retreated upon hearing a loud crash that seemed to come from inside the box. The men looked at each other and turned towards it again as it opened and out stepped… a man.

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><p>"Then he said-"<p>

"Always take bananas to a party!" the Doctor interrupted Jack, delivering the punch line that soon had them all in stitches.

"He really said that?" Rose questioned after recovering slightly from her uncontrollable laughter. At Jack's nod she continued, "But that's so-"

"Doctor!" Jack interjected, causing the pair to loose themselves once again. They leaned against each other as their giggles continued, losing balance at the sudden jolt that catapulted them into the Tardis console.

"Watch out!" yelled the Doctor, the top of his dishevelled head of hair appearing from underneath the console.

"Thanks for the warning." Rose muttered, regaining her footing, only to fall flat on her bum as the Tardis jarred once more, this time accompanied by a loud crash.

"We're here." Stated the Doctor with a roguish grin as he stood up and brushed off his trousers.

"Where?" was her reply, as Jack gave her a welcomed hand up from the floor.

"Who knows," he responded with a playful twinkle in his eye. "Want to find out?" he enticed with an outstretched arm and wiggle of his fingers.

"Allons-y!"

With those parting words, and a wink, Jack stepped out of the Tardis and into whatever world waited on the other side.

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><p>The man looked up from straitening his jacket and froze upon seeing them. He seemed surprised, but quickly recovered, and after looking Merlin up and down he stepped forward a few paces, a smile gracing his features.<p>

"Hello. I'm Captain Jack Harkness, and who are you?" the man, apparently named Jack, spoke confidently, offering a hand in greeting.

"There's a time and a place." Another man seemed to chastise as he too emerged from the mysterious box.

"Yeah, about that Doctor; where exactly are we?" A women now entered the mix, and upon receiving a non-too pleasant look from the second man hastened to speak again: "Not that I mind of course." She looked towards Jack for assistance, but upon seeing his gaze otherwise occupied, she finally noticed the original occupants of the room. "Hi," she said in greeting, raising her hand in a poor imitation of a wave.

She received no response, for Merlin and Gaius were too busy staring in disbelief at the woman's attire. She looked down at her clothing and then at her surroundings, suddenly seeming to realise the significance of what she was wearing. "Doctor." she spoke through gritted teeth. Upon catching the second man's attention she gestured at her oddly clothed body.

"Ahh." He sounded with dawning recognition. "Not exactly dressed in medieval fashion are we." He stated, looking at the Jack's clothing as well as his own.

"No." The first man denied. "It's not the clothing. They're probably just wondering what the three of us were doing in a small, wooden box…" Jack trailed off, casting a suggestive look and wiggling his eyebrows at the woman, who merely smiled fondly in response.

Gaius and Merlin followed the conversation with rapt fascination and complete incomprehension. They looked at each other, and signalled their mutual confusion with a lifting of their shoulders and a widening of their eyes. Realising that the group hadn't spoken for a while, the men looked back at the threesome, who were showing a certain amount of puzzlement themselves.

Deciding that someone needed to do something, say something, Merlin stepped forward and declared: "My name's Merlin and this," he gestured about himself, "is Camelot. How you came to be in here though, that I'm afraid you're going to have to explain for yourselves."

Upon hearing their location the woman's mouth had opened in surprise and wonder.

"No way." she whispered.

The second man looked less surprised but just as happy, exclaiming with apparent vigour, "Oh yes!"


	2. Chapter 2

The unlikely group stood there for a few moments, the man in the long, brown coat grinning at his companions. Appearing to realise the rising discomfort of the situation, the man stepped forward.

"Sorry. Where are my manners? I'm the Doctor, this is Rose," he gestured to the blonde woman, "and you already know that's Jack."

"A man of medicine?" inquired Gaius, stepping closer into the group and speaking for the first time since the sudden arrival of their guests.

"I dabble." Was the reply.

"If you don't mind me asking; Doctor, was it? Where exactly do you come from?" probed Gaius. "You are not dressed like anyone we have encountered before and your methods of travel are, how should I phrase it? Odd."

The visitors looked at each other, conversing with their eyes, before the Doctor spoke again.

"We come from a place named London, many miles away, most people haven't heard of it. It's a small place, strange fashions, hence our odd attire." Rose and Jack nodded in agreement, almost too enthusiastically.

"And how exactly did you appear in our quarters?" Gaius continued distrustfully.

The man looked unsure at how to answer. Before he could formulate a response Rose stepped forward.

"Magic." She stated, leaving silence in her wake.

The Doctor raised a hand to his forehead in frustration, Jack covered his mouth to hide an escaping laugh, and Rose realised that maybe she was too hasty in her answer.

"What she means to say is-" the Doctor started, only to be silenced by Gaius' severe look. Merlin, on the other hand, exhibited a boyish grin that gave Rose hope that she hadn't completely screwed things up.

"Magic is forbidden in this land; our King, Uther Pendragon, decrees it." Gaius intoned, casting a disapproving look at the young wizard.

"We'll get out of your hair then." the Doctor began, walking backwards. "Maybe we'll bump into you some other time," he suggested, retreating into the Tardis.

"Yeah," Rose called with a smile as she followed after him. "Nice meeting you guys."

"See you around handsome." Jack flirted with a wink at Merlin, before he too exited the room, leaving Gaius and Merlin behind.

"Well, that was interesting." Whispered Merlin, only to ask at seeing Gaius' dumbstruck face: "What?" Turning to face the Tardis, he was just in time to see it disappear before his very eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

Hi. I'd like to thank everyone who has favorited, reviewed, followed or even just viewed, my work. I started doing this for a bit of fun and so it means so much that there are people out there reading and enjoying it. Please keep up with the feedback, it helps me to keep writing and frequently makes my day.

Thanks again and enjoy!

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><p>Chapter 3<p>

_3 months later_

The King and his servant slowly moved through the forest, their horses keeping a slow pace, both man and beast anxious to return home, yet tired from the morning's exertions.

A fond smile on his face, as the usual insults were traded between the two, Merlin stopped his progression upon hearing a noise. Noticing the halt, but not seeing anything to cause such a delay, Arthur pulled his horse up and looked at Merlin expectantly, one eyebrow raised. When it became clear that no answer was going to be forthcoming, with a sigh bred of pure annoyance, the young King manoeuvred to face his useless manservant.

"Merlin!" he called, waking the man up from his apparent trance. "Something the matter?"

Shaking himself, the sorcerer replied: "No sire." Ready to let the distraction drop and continue back on their way to Camelot, Merlin was brought short by the recurrence of that noise - a whirring sound, coming from amongst the trees.

Having tuned out once again, he looked around at his companion to find that Arthur had been talking to him, for quite some time it seemed. He was ready to feel bad, but in all actuality it was quite amusing, and there were more pressing matters at hand. The noise had a ring of familiarity to it. Merlin thought that perhaps his friend would have a better memory.

"Have-" he started, but was unable to finish, as Arthur seemed unwilling to end his lecture. After waiting for some time, his patience finally ran out.

"Listen to me!" Merlin urged, futilely trying to get Arthur's attention.

"You know me Merlin," Arthur started, "I never listen to you."

Merlin's look said it all, however he was more than willing to back it up with his colourful use of words, but was interrupted by the familiar sound once more. He still couldn't place it.

Breaking out of his hopeless wanderings he turned on his seat to face Arthur, opening his mouth to request his friend's opinion. Nevertheless, before a single syllable could pass his lips, he was silenced by Arthur's action, the man's finger pressed against his own lips. Nodding his comprehension Merlin copied his King, the pair lowering from their horses, drawing their swords. They moved soundlessly off the path and into the trees, ready for any surprise attack that may have tried to occur. They were, however, completely unprepared for what fate had in store.

"Magic? Really?" the Doctor questioned, shaking his head, as the group walked back into the Tardis.

"What's wrong with that?" Rose responded, seeming genuinely confused. "He's THE Merlin, right? The sorcerer of Arthurian legend?" The Doctor was nodding to everything she said. Seeing this, she continued: "So what's the problem?" Huffing she slumped down onto the worn out seat. Jack joined her, resting his arm along the back. After pulling a few nobs and twisting some leavers, the Tardis left Camelot as quickly as it had appeared. The Doctor, having negotiated an exit, leaned back against the console, considering his answer before responding.

"From what I can remember, what we just saw was a different time from the one you read about. Arthur's not King yet, his dad is, and let's just say that he wasn't as friendly about magic. Neither is Arthur at this point, and Merlin, well, Merlin is just Arthur's manservant. He has magic, sure, but keeps it secret, or he'd-" no words were needed, as Jack's mime of hanging proved descriptive enough.

"Wow," Rose whispered, "I suppose I never thought about when they were younger, and yeah, Merlin looks really different without a beard. But, no magic?" At the boys' nods she sprung up from her seat and, with renewed energy and vigour, declared, "What are we waiting for? Let's go back." This earned her twined puzzled looks, though Jack's face had already adopted a slight smile. "We can't just leave like that! We, I, need to know more. I want to know more."

Seeing her determination the Doctor looked at Jack, noticing that his smile had bloomed to a full on grin, and nodded. "Ok." He spoke, and with a flourish pressed a small red button that threw the whole room into chaos.

After a good few minutes of thrashing and crashing, tripping and falling, the Tardis landed with surprising grace, Rose managing to remain standing this time. The threesome looked at each other, and with matching grins headed to the outer door, the Doctor taking the lead. Pausing, he looked back over his shoulder.

"We should be in roughly the same place," he paused to grab Jack's arm and look at the ex-time agent's watch. "About a week later." Opening the door he continued, "Now remember, don't mention, MAGIC!" The last word came out in a shout as Rose over-excitedly bumped into him and they toppled out of the Tardis into what definitely wasn't the insides of a castle.

Looking up from their pile on the floor Rose's gaze fell on the young man they had left not too long ago, and a man beside him dressed in rather more elegant attire. Catching the bewildered look on the latter's face Rose exclaimed, seeming amused over repentant, "whoops!"


End file.
